JP6664508B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with a water supply pipe communicating a water supply tank with an ice maker.

  Generally, a refrigerator is provided with a refrigerator main body having a storage room such as a refrigerator room, a vegetable room, a freezer room, etc., which is partitioned by a plurality of partition walls inside. The refrigerator is known to have a configuration in which a water supply tank for storing water is installed in a refrigerator compartment, and an ice maker for making ice is installed in a freezing compartment. The ice making machine is connected to a water supply tank by a water supply pipe penetrating a partition wall filled with a foam insulation material such as urethane foam, and water is supplied from the water supply tank through the water supply pipe.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a refrigerator in which openings are formed at the top and bottom of a heat insulating layer serving as a partition wall, and water supply pipes are passed through the openings. The water supply pipe is fixed to the bottom of the heat retaining layer via a first fixing member, and is fixed to the top of the heat retaining chamber via a second fixing member. A first fixing member, a support post extending from the top to the bottom of the heat retaining layer, a fixed end provided at one end of the support post to fix the water supply pipe to the bottom of the heat retaining layer and close a gap of the opening; And a support end provided at the other end of the pillar and supported on the top of the heat insulating layer. The second fixing member supports the water supply pipe from the rear side of the refrigerator. The water supply pipe has a convex part whose diameter is increased at a part located inside the heat retaining layer, and the convex part is brought into contact with the top of the heat retaining layer to close a gap between the openings on the top side.

JP-T-2013-512412

  Since the refrigerator of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a water supply pipe is directly passed through an opening formed in a heat insulating layer, the water supply pipe, the first fixing member, and the second fixing member are displaced by the foaming pressure of the injected foam insulation material. There is a possibility that the foamed heat insulating material leaks out of the heat insulating layer because a gap is formed between the water supply pipe and the opening of the heat insulating layer. Therefore, in this refrigerator, a sealing material for completely closing the gap between the water supply pipe and the opening of the heat insulating layer is indispensable, and the use of the first fixing member and the second fixing member has a large number of members and a complicated structure. Thus, there is a problem that costs are high.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and has a simple and inexpensive structure that can reliably prevent a situation in which a foamed heat insulating material such as urethane foam filled inside a partition wall leaks outside. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator that can be implemented.

The refrigerator according to the present invention is formed by filling the inside surrounded by an inner box and an outer box with a heat insulating material, and forms a plurality of storage compartments by partitioning the refrigerator body having an open front side and the inside of the refrigerator body. A partition wall, a water supply tank installed in one of the plurality of storage rooms, an ice machine installed in a storage room different from the water supply tank, and a partition wall adjacent to the ice machine. A water supply pipe communicating with the water supply tank and the ice making machine, and a partition wall adjacent to the ice making machine is insulated inside a frame formed by an upper partition plate and a lower partition plate. The upper partition plate is formed with a concave portion having a first opening at the bottom for passing the water supply pipe, and a lower surface of the concave portion projects toward the lower partition plate. the insertion portion of the annular communicating with the first opening An annular rib projecting toward said the lower partition plate around the insertion portion, is provided with, wherein the lower partition plate, convex portions having a second opening for fitting the insertion portion is formed and, the lower surface of the recess is fitted the insertion portion in the second opening, and contact with the upper surface of the convex portion, the convex portion, in which is fitted inside the annular rib .

  According to the refrigerator according to the present invention, the partition wall through which the water supply pipe penetrates, the insertion portion is provided on the lower surface of the concave portion formed on the upper partition plate, the convex portion is formed on the upper surface of the lower partition plate, and the convex portion is formed. It is a simple structure in which an opening for fitting the insertion part is formed, and the lower surface of the concave part in which the insertion part is fitted in the opening is in contact with the upper surface of the projection, so that the sealing material is not used. The flow of the foam heat insulating material injected into the inside of the frame can be blocked. Therefore, the refrigerator according to the present invention can simply and inexpensively implement a structure capable of reliably preventing the foamed heat insulating material filled in the partition wall from leaking from the partition wall.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which a door that covers a front opening of the refrigerator body is omitted. FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which a door covering a front opening of the refrigerator main body is omitted. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A indicated in FIG. 2 as viewed from the front. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part, in which a lower partition wall of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is disassembled. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, as viewed from the side. FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion B indicated in FIG. 5. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which portion A indicated in FIG. 2 is viewed from the front.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference characters, and description thereof will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. Further, the configuration, size, arrangement, and the like of the configuration shown in each drawing can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which a door covering a front opening of a refrigerator main body is omitted. FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a door covering a front opening of the refrigerator body is omitted. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the portion A indicated in FIG. 2 as viewed from the front. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the lower partition wall of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention in an exploded manner. FIG. 5 is a main part enlarged cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, as viewed from the side.

  Refrigerator 100 according to Embodiment 1 includes a refrigerator main body 1 having an opening on a front surface, an interior partitioned by upper partition wall 5 and lower partition wall 6, and provided with a plurality of storage rooms. The refrigerator main body 1 has a sealed space formed by a resin inner box 10 inside the refrigerator 100 and a steel plate outer box 11 outside the refrigerator 100. A vacuum heat insulating material (not shown) is installed in the interior sealed by the inner box 10 and the outer box 11, and is filled with a foam heat insulating material 16 such as urethane foam. The storage room includes a refrigerator room 2, a vegetable room 3, and a freezer room 4 in this order from the top. Each storage room is distinguished by a temperature zone that can be set (set temperature zone). For example, the refrigerator room 2 is about 0 ° C. to 4 ° C., the vegetable room 3 is about 3 ° C. to 10 ° C., and the freezing room 4 is about The temperature can be set to -16 ° C to -22 ° C. Although not shown in detail, a refrigerator compartment door, a vegetable compartment door, and a freezer compartment door that cover the front opening of the refrigerator main body 1 are provided in each storage compartment to be openable and closable. A gasket for preventing indoor cold air from flowing out is attached to each door along the inner peripheral edge. Further, the set temperature of each storage room is not limited to this, and the setting can be appropriately changed according to the installation location and the contents.

  The refrigerator compartment 2 is arranged at the top of the refrigerator main body 1. A concave portion is formed in the upper partition wall 5 that forms the bottom of the refrigerator compartment 2, and a water supply tank 12 that stores water in the concave portion is detachably stored. Incidentally, in the refrigerator 100 of the first embodiment, the water supply tank 12 is disposed in front of one side wall (the left side wall in FIGS. 1 and 2). The upper partition wall 5 has a configuration in which a foam insulating material such as urethane foam is injected into a partition plate made of a synthetic resin, for example. The water supply tank 12 is provided with a pump for pumping the stored water. The water pumped by the operation of the pump is sent to the ice maker 14 through the water supply pipe 13.

  The vegetable room 3 is arranged below the refrigerator room 2. The vegetable compartment 3 and the refrigerator compartment 2 are separated by an upper partition wall 5. In recent years, a refrigerator having a medium capacity or more has a configuration in which the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 3 are arranged above the freezing compartment 4 in consideration of the user's convenience.

  The freezing compartment 4 is arranged below the vegetable compartment 3. The freezer compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 3 are separated by a lower partition wall 6. An automatic ice maker 14 that freezes water supplied from a water supply tank 12 to generate ice is installed in the freezer compartment 4 directly below the lower partition wall 6. The automatic ice making machine 14 may be installed in an ice making room provided separately in the freezing room 4.

  The automatic ice maker 14 includes an ice tray, an ice storage case disposed below the ice tray, and a driving device connected to an end of the ice tray to rotate the ice tray. The ice storage case stores the ice generated in the ice tray.

  When the automatic ice maker 14 starts the ice making operation, the water stored in the water supply tank 12 is pumped up by the operation of the pump, discharged through the water supply pipe 13 from the discharge port 13b, and supplied to the ice tray. Cool air sent from a cooler (not shown) is supplied to the upper surface of the ice tray, and the water in the ice tray becomes ice in response to the cool air. The automatic ice maker 14 is provided with a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature in the ice tray. When the temperature sensor detects that ice has been generated in the ice tray, the driving device is activated. The ice tray is driven to rotate, and the ice is transferred to the ice storage case. The automatic ice maker 14 may have a configuration in which a user manually removes ice without a driving device for rotating the ice tray. Further, the automatic ice making machine 14 may be configured to be installed in an ice making room provided adjacent to the freezing room 4. The set temperature of the ice making room is about −18 ° C. as an example.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a water supply pipe 13 that connects the water supply tank 12 and the automatic ice maker 14 has an upper end connected to a water supply port formed in the water supply tank 12, and an intermediate part connected to the vegetable compartment 3. The lower part passes through the inside of the adjacent inner box 10 and outer box 11, and the lower part penetrates the lower partition wall 6 and is located immediately above the ice tray of the automatic ice machine 14. In the inner box 10, through holes are formed in the vicinity of the water supply tank 12 and in the vicinity of the lower partition wall 6 for passing the water supply pipe 13 into the inside. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower portion of the water supply pipe 13 has a gently bent inclined portion 13a at the center in the left and right width direction of the refrigerator body 1, and the lower end is bent substantially vertically downward to discharge water. An outlet 13b is provided.

  The water supply pipe 13 may be configured as a single pipe by connecting a plurality of pipes, for example, or may be configured as a single continuous pipe. The water supply pipe 13 is made of, for example, a metal material such as aluminum having a high thermal conductivity and excellent heat resistance, or a synthetic resin material.

  Although not shown in detail, a cylindrical guide member for passing an intermediate portion of the water supply pipe 13 is provided inside the inner box 10 and the outer box 11 adjacent to the vegetable compartment 3. . Both ends of the guide member are shaped to correspond to the through holes of the inner box 10 formed near the water supply tank 12 and near the lower partition wall 6. The guide member also serves to protect the water supply pipe 13 from the foam insulation 16 filled in the inner box 10 and the outer box 11.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lower partition wall 6 has a frame 9 formed by an upper partition plate 7 and a lower partition plate 8, and the inside of the frame 9 is filled with a foam heat insulating material 90 such as urethane foam. Configuration. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower partition wall 6 has an inclined surface 60 that is inclined upward toward the rear side to secure a space S on the rear side for accommodating a connector or the like of an electrical component such as a compressor. ing. A metal plate 61 for adsorbing a magnet built in a gasket attached to the door is attached to the front side surface of the lower partition wall 6. However, the configuration of the lower partition wall 6 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

  The left and right side surfaces of the frame 9 shown in FIG. 3 are overlapped with a downward flange 75 provided along the edge of the upper partition plate 7 and an upward flange 82 provided along the edge of the lower partition plate 8. It is configured. The upward flange portion 82 is disposed on the inner side of the frame body 9 with respect to the downward flange portion 75, and a step portion 84 is formed on an outer surface of the upward flange portion so as to abut the distal end surface of the downward flange portion 75. That is, since the refrigerator 100 is configured such that the upward flange portion 82 and the downward flange portion 75 are overlapped on the left and right side surfaces of the frame body 9 to increase the strength, the frame body is formed by the foaming pressure of the foam heat insulating material 90 injected therein. 9 can be suppressed. Further, in the refrigerator 100, since the contact surface between the upward flange portion 82 and the downward flange portion 75 has a certain height, the injected foam insulation material 90 leaks from the left and right side surfaces of the frame 9. Can be reliably prevented.

  Although not shown in detail, the upward flange portion 82 and the downward flange portion 75 may have a reversed configuration. That is, the downward flange portion 75 of the upper partition plate 7 is provided on the inner side of the frame 9 with respect to the upward flange portion 82 of the lower partition plate 8, and the distal end face of the upward flange portion 82 is provided on the outer surface of the downward flange portion 75. This is a configuration in which a step portion to be abutted is formed.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion B indicated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower surface of the upper partition plate 7 and the upper surface of the lower partition plate 8 on the front side of the refrigerator body 1 are provided with a fitting structure 15 having a concave-convex shape that fits each other.

  The fitting structure 15 includes a downward flange 76 provided along an edge on the front side of the upper partition plate 7 and a downward rib 77 provided at an interval on the inner side of the frame 9 with respect to the downward flange 76. A groove 78 is formed therebetween, and an upward flange 83 provided along the front side edge of the lower partition plate 8 is fitted into the groove 78. The downward rib 77 preferably has a length Y of two-thirds or more of the interval Z between the upper partition plate 7 and the lower partition plate 8. The refrigerator 100 can block the flow of the foamed heat insulating material 90 injected into the frame 9 by sufficiently securing the length Y of the downward ribs 77, can prevent leakage to the outside, and can prevent the foamed heat insulating material. The deformation of the frame 9 due to the foaming pressure of 90 can be suppressed. However, the downward rib 77 is not limited to the length Y. Further, the fitting structure 15 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, and may have another form as long as it has an uneven shape that fits with each other.

  The fitting structure 15 having the above configuration may be provided on the lower surface of the upper partition plate 7 and the upper surface of the lower partition plate 8 on the rear side of the refrigerator main body 1. On the rear side of the lower partition wall 6, a space S for accommodating a connector or the like for relaying electrical components such as a compressor is provided, and leakage of the foam heat insulating material 90 injected into the frame 9 is reliably prevented. It is necessary to do it.

  In the refrigerator 100 of the first embodiment, the downward flange portion 75 and the upward flange portion 82 provided on the left and right side surfaces of the frame 9 described with reference to FIG. May be applied. Moreover, the fitting structure 15 provided on the front and rear side surfaces of the frame 9 described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 may be applied to the left and right side surfaces of the frame 9 in the refrigerator 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a concave portion 70 through which a lower portion of the water supply pipe 13 passes is formed in the upper partition plate 7. The recess 70 has a shape narrowing downward from the upper surface of the upper partition plate 7, and an opening 71 through which the water supply pipe 13 passes is formed at the bottom. In the concave portion 70 of the first embodiment, one side surface (the left side in FIG. 3) is an inclined surface 70a along the shape of the inclined portion 13a of the water supply pipe 13, and the other side surface (the right side in FIG. 3) is substantially vertical. With the face. On the lower surface of the recess 70, there is provided an annular insertion portion 72 projecting vertically downward toward the lower partition plate 8 and communicating with the opening 71.

  The insertion part 72 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the water supply pipe 13, and allows the lower end of the water supply pipe 13 to be inserted. An annular rib 73 protruding toward the lower partition plate 8 is provided on the lower surface of the concave portion 70 and around the insertion portion 72. Further, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 74 protruding downward are provided on the inclined surface 70 a of the concave portion 70. The shape of the concave portion 70 is not limited to the illustrated shape, and may have a configuration in which the inner peripheral surface is a substantially vertical surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower partition plate 8 has a projection 80 formed on the upper surface thereof and protruding inward of the frame body 9, and an opening 81 into which the insertion portion 72 is fitted. Are formed. A plurality of reinforcing ribs 85 projecting upward are provided on the upper surface of the lower partition plate 8. In the lower partition plate 8, the insertion portion 72 is fitted into the opening 81, the lower surface of the concave portion 70 is in contact with the upper surface of the convex portion 80, and the convex portion 80 is fitted inside the annular rib 73. The distal end surface of the annular rib 73 is in contact with the upper surface of the lower partition plate 8. It is desirable that the annular rib 73 and the projection 80 of the lower partition plate 8 have a shape that can be fitted tightly. However, a dimensional error that has a slight gap is allowed.

  The lower partition wall 6 having the above configuration secures a long distance between the lower surface of the annular rib 73 and the concave portion 70 of the upper partition plate 7 and the opening 81 in the contact surface between the lower partition plate 8 and the convex portion 80. Since the foamed heat insulating material 90 injected into the inside of the frame 9 passes through the gap between the annular rib 73 and the lower partition plate 8, the foaming reaction is completed and it is prevented from leaking out of the frame 9. can do. The length up to the opening 81 in the contact surface between the lower surface of the annular rib 73 and the concave portion 70 and the convex portion 80 is set as an example so that the fluid foaming heat insulating material 90 does not reach the opening 81. What is necessary is just about 5 mm or more. Since the foamed heat insulating material 90 such as urethane foam has viscosity, if the above-mentioned length can be ensured, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation where the foamed heat insulating material 90 leaks out of the frame 9.

  Therefore, in the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, the lower partition wall 6 through which the water supply pipe 13 penetrates is provided with the insertion portion 72 on the lower surface of the concave portion 70 formed in the upper partition plate 7, and the lower partition plate 8 has a simple structure in which a convex portion 80 is formed on the upper surface and an opening portion 81 for fitting the insertion portion 72 into the convex portion 80. The lower surface of the concave portion 70 in which the insertion portion 72 is fitted in the opening portion 81 is formed. Since it is in contact with the upper surface of the projection 80, the flow of the foamed heat insulating material 90 injected into the frame 9 can be blocked without using a sealing material. Therefore, the refrigerator 100 can simply and inexpensively implement a structure capable of reliably preventing the foam insulation material 90 filled in the lower partition wall 6 from leaking from the lower partition wall 6. In addition, since the refrigerator 100 forms the path of the water supply pipe 13 by combining the upper partition plate 7 and the lower partition plate 8, the refrigerator 100 is not affected by the arrangement of the water supply pipe 13 and has a high energy saving effect. A foam insulation material 90 can be used.

  The upper partition plate 7 of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment is provided with an annular rib 73 protruding toward the lower partition plate 8 around the insertion portion 72 on the lower surface of the concave portion 70, The projection 80 of the side partition plate 8 is fitted inside the annular rib 73. Therefore, the refrigerator 100 can secure a sufficient length from the lower surface of the concave portion 70 and the annular rib 73 to the opening portion 81 in the contact surface with the convex portion 80, so that the foam injected into the inside of the frame 9. The flow of the foamed heat insulating material 90 can be blocked so that the heat insulating material 90 does not reach the opening 81. Therefore, the refrigerator 100 can reliably prevent the foamed heat insulating material 90 injected into the inside of the frame 9 of the lower partition wall 6 from leaking outside the lower partition wall 6.

  Further, the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment is provided with a fitting structure 15 having a concave-convex shape that fits on the lower surface of the upper partition plate 7 and the upper surface of the lower partition plate 8 on the front side of the refrigerator body 1. I have. Therefore, in the refrigerator 100, since the flow of the foamed heat insulating material 90 injected into the frame 9 can be blocked by the fitting structure 15, the foamed heat insulating material 90 leaks to the outside from the front side surface of the refrigerator body 1. The situation can be reliably prevented, and the deformation of the frame 9 due to the foaming pressure of the foam heat insulating material 90 can be suppressed.

Embodiment 2 FIG.
Next, a refrigerator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, in which portion A indicated in FIG. 2 is viewed from the front. The same components as those of the refrigerator 100 described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  The refrigerator according to the second embodiment has a configuration in which the annular rib 73 constituting the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment is omitted. That is, the refrigerator according to the second embodiment closes the gap between the lower surface of the concave portion 70 and the upper surface of the convex portion 80 by bringing the lower surface of the concave portion 70 into contact with the upper surface of the convex portion 80, and The leakage of the foamed heat insulating material 90 injected therein is prevented. The length of the contact surface between the lower surface of the concave portion 70 and the upper surface of the convex portion 80 up to the opening 81 should be about 5 mm or more so that the foamed heat insulating material 90 having fluidity does not reach the opening 81. Is desirable.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. For example, the storage room may be configured to have another storage room in addition to the refrigerator room 2, the vegetable room 3, and the freezing room 4. Further, the water supply tank 12 is not limited to being provided in the refrigerator compartment 2 and may be provided in, for example, the vegetable compartment 3. In short, it should be noted that various changes, applications, and uses made by those skilled in the art as necessary are also included in the gist (technical range) of the present invention.

  1 refrigerator main body, 2 refrigerator compartment, 3 vegetable compartment, 4 freezer compartment, 5 upper partition wall, 6 lower partition wall, 7 upper partition plate, 8 lower partition plate, 9 frame body, 10 inner box, 11 outer box, 12 Water supply tank, 13 water supply pipe, 13a inclined portion, 13b discharge port, 14 automatic ice machine, 15 fitting structure, 16 foam insulation material, 60 inclined surface, 61 metal plate, 70 recess, 70a inclined surface, 71 opening, 72 Insertion part, 73 annular rib, 74 reinforcing rib, 75, 76 downward flange, 77 downward rib, 78 groove, 80 convex, 81 opening, 82, 83 upward flange, 84 step, 85 reinforcing rib, 90 foam Insulation, 100 refrigerator.

Claims (2)

A refrigerator body having an interior surrounded by an inner box and an outer box filled with a heat insulating material and having an open front side,
A partition wall that partitions the inside of the refrigerator body to form a plurality of storage rooms;
A water supply tank installed in one of the plurality of storage rooms,
An ice machine installed in a storage room different from the water supply tank,
A water supply pipe penetrating a partition wall adjacent to the ice making machine, and communicating with the water supply tank and the ice making machine;
A partition wall adjacent to the ice making machine is formed by filling a frame formed by an upper partition plate and a lower partition plate with an insulating material,
A recess having a first opening at the bottom for passing the water supply pipe is formed in the upper partition plate,
An annular insertion portion projecting toward the lower partition plate and communicating with the first opening, and an annular rib projecting toward the lower partition plate around the insertion portion are provided on a lower surface of the concave portion. Has been
On the lower partition plate, a projection having a second opening into which the insertion portion is fitted is formed,
The lower surface of the recess is fitted the insertion portion in the second opening, and contact with the upper surface of the convex portion,
The refrigerator , wherein the convex portion is fitted inside the annular rib . 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the upper partition plate and the upper surface of the lower partition plate on the front side of the refrigerator body are provided with a fitting structure having a concave-convex shape that fits each other.

Images